Navratilova serves up an ace for Morpheus with first Flat stakes winner

Morpheus, the half-brother to champion sire Frankel, notched up a significant milestone of his own on Sunday with his first stakes winner on the Flat.

His five-year-old daughter Navratilova won the Listed Preis des Gestuts Rottgen at Hoppegarten for owners Moritz and Phillip von Loeper.

She was bred by Ballyhampshire Stud out of the High Chaparral mare High Vintage and sold to Mathias Seeber at the Goffs Open Yearling Sale for €9,000.

Navratilova is a half-sister to Group 2 Premio Gran Criterium third Beautiful Vintage by Zebedee and to the Listed Betway Summer Handicap Hurdle winner Grapevine, a son of Lilbourne Lad.

Her sire Morpheus was bred by Juddmonte and trained by Lady Cecil to win three of his five starts at three. He is an Oasis Dream brother to the Listed winner and Group 3 second Joyeuse and a half-brother to the outstanding Frankel, three-time Group 1 winner and sire Noble Mission and the Lingfield Derby Trial winner Bullet Train.

Their dam Kind, who died last year aged 20, was a dual Listed-winning sprinter by Danehill and a half-sister to Powerscourt, who beat Kitten's Joy to win the Arlington Million. Her Dansili three-parts sister Riposte was a poignant first Royal Ascot winner for Lady Cecil following the death of Sir Henry Cecil and Riposte went on to win twice at Grade 2 level in North America.

Morpheus retired to Tally-Ho Stud for the 2015 breeding season at a fee of €6,000. He stood in Westmeath for four seasons before transferring to France in 2019, initially to Haras du Grand Chesnaie. He is in his second season at Haras de Toury as a dual-purpose sire where he commands a fee of €2,800.

His jumping oriented offspring provided him with a first Grade 1 winner over obstacles in 2020 when Lemhi Pass won the Premio Gran Criterium de Autunno.

The best performers on the Flat by Morpheus, prior to Navratilova's success today, were three Listed-placed horses including Shimmering Dawn who was third in last season's Queen Charlotte Fillies' Stakes at Chelmsford for James Tate and Sheikh Juma Dalmook.

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